Learn about basic chemical reactions with this easy and entertaining science experiment. Three simple ingredients combine to create a surprising and colorful bubbly reaction your kids will want to do again and again.

What You’ll Need

• Baking soda
• White vinegar
• Food coloring
• Baking dish or rimmed baking sheet (Parent Tip! Use a disposable baking pan for easy cleanup)
• Small syringe or medicine dropper

What You’ll Do

• Sprinkle the baking soda in an even layer over the bottom of the baking dish.
• Drip drops of food coloring all over the baking soda.
• Using the dropper or syringe, squirt the vinegar over the food coloring and watch the bubbles come to life!

Take the Fun Further

• Mix different drops of food coloring to see what colors you can create. Or drop the food coloring in a pattern.
• Listen to the sound of the bubbles and try to recreate it using your mouth.
• Pretend you are the bubbly reaction and move your body like the bubbles erupting.
• Once all of the food coloring drops have fizzed, pour the remaining vinegar into the pan to make one giant bubble eruption.

What Kids Learn

• Creative Thinking
• Coordination

How to Support the Play

• When providing guidance, offer up suggestions framed as questions. “What do you think would happen if you combined these colors?” “What kind of patterns can you make?” etc.
• If your child is struggling with handling the medicine dropper/syringe or getting the colors and patterns they want, give them time to figure it out themselves before stepping in.
• Always remember that there’s no one right way of doing things.

HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES